Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has revealed that his partner, Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, has Indian heritage. Speaking on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, “WTF is?”, Musk said Zilis is “half-Indian” and that one of their sons carries the middle name Sekhar, inspired by Nobel Prize–winning Indian-American astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
Musk shared these details while discussing Zilis’ background. “I’m not sure if you know this, but my partner Shivon is half-Indian,” he said. He added that her son’s middle name, Sekhar, was chosen as a tribute to Chandrasekhar’s contributions to science. Musk also mentioned that Zilis grew up in Canada after being adopted as a baby. According to him, her biological father may have been an exchange student, though he admitted he was unsure about the exact details.
Zilis, who holds degrees in Economics and Philosophy from Yale University, joined Musk’s brain–tech company Neuralink in 2017 and now serves as Director of Operations and Special Projects. She and Musk share four children: twins Strider and Azure, daughter Arcadia, and son Seldon Lycurgus.
During the conversation, Musk also spoke about the impact of Indian talent on the United States. He noted that America has benefited “immensely” from skilled Indian professionals over the decades, but warned that changing visa policies and growing restrictions may be reducing this flow of talent.
His comments come at a time when many Indians aspiring to work in the US face long visa backlogs, increased uncertainty, and delays factors that have complicated the once widely cherished “American Dream.”
Musk’s revelations have sparked renewed interest in Zilis’ background as well as the growing role of Indian-origin talent across global tech and science sectors.
